Green Roofs: Importance in Minimizing Climate Change Impacts in UK

This report delves into the crucial role of green roofs in mitigating the impacts of climate change within the United Kingdom. It begins by introducing the concept of green roofs, highlighting their aesthetic and environmental benefits, particularly in urban settings. The report explores the historical context of green roofs, tracing their evolution and widespread adoption in various countries. It outlines the research aim, methodology, and significance of the study, emphasizing the potential of green roofs to reduce building temperatures, manage stormwater runoff, and improve air quality. The report also includes a literature review that supports the cooling process of buildings. The data analysis and discussion section examines the advantages and disadvantages of green roofs, focusing on their cost-effectiveness and environmental impact. It also includes interview results with professionals in the field, which reinforce the benefits of green roofs. The report concludes that green roofs are an essential tool in the UK's efforts to address climate change. The report is a valuable resource for students studying environmental engineering, urban planning, and sustainable design.

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WHY GREEN ROOFS ARE IMPORTANT TO MINIMISE THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE
CHANGE IN THE UK
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Table of contents
Abstract………………………………………………………………….……….3.
1. Introduction and research context……………………………………………..4.
2. Research aim and methodology……………………………………………....13.
3. Data analysis and discussion…………………………..……………………..15.
4. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….23
5. References…………………………………………………………………….25.

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Abstract
The introduction of green roofs in future urban constructions of UK can soften and restore the
balance of the urban ecosystem and improve the quality of life, as demonstrated in the literature
review of the study. The implementation of the roofs should be cautious in the constructive
aspects, especially in relation to the process, technique and material used in the waterproofing of
the roof. A typical layout of a green roof consists of many layers, together with a vegetation
layer, a medium layer, a filtering-drainage layer, and a roof deck layer. The flexibility of such a
green roofs to retain water varies across sites due to climate and vegetation kind, as well as the
structure and properties of the layers and roof Finally,it is important note that green roofs have
more benefits than disadvantages.The only disadvantage levelled against the use of green roofs is
their cost,both initial and maintenance costs.From the findings it is evident that green roofs are
able to reduce temperatures of both buildings and surfaces at significant levels. Therefore green
roofs are important in minimising the impacts of climate change in the United Kingdom.

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Why Green Roofs are Important to Minimise the Impacts of Climate Change in the UK
1. Introduction and research context
1.1. Introduction .
While in most of the world the discussion is focused on avoiding global warming, the city
of London is already thinking of the inevitable. To this end, the UK 's capital city is launching an
innovative climate change adaptation program - the first of its kind in the world. The project is
being developed and must go through two phases of consultation - one in the city assembly,
another in public order (Demuzere et.al, 2014). By global nature, climate change has multiple
and interrelated impacts. In this context, green roofs have been used in various parts of the world
mainly for aesthetic purposes of valuing the urban space and for improving the environmental
comfort. These green areas can also serve to detain the flow surface, minimising urban floods.
Green roofs are characterised as cover or roof, which aggregates in its composition a layer of soil
or substrate and another of vegetation (Matthews et.al, 2015). They may also be classified as
extensive green roofs or intensive. Intensive green coverings are characterised by larger soil
layers which are 20 cm long, are medium-sized plants and shrubs, which require developing a
more complex environment, requiring a reinforced structure and with the loads distributed due to
the extra efforts promoted by plants, soil and water.
Some cities around the world have already taken steps to increase, improve and diversify
their green spaces. In the similar sense, London (UK) has expanded the number of green spaces
in the city in order to adapt with the consequences, which may arise due to global warming. Due
to global warming, people are suffering from diseases such as skin cancer. With a view to
minimising these impacts, the green roof comes as a sustainable alternative to mitigating impacts

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and proposing improvements to residents, especially in urban cities (Bulkeley, 2013). At the UK,
this technique is little used, but there are countless countries where it is widely used, with
government fiscal incentives per square meter of this roof. Many individuals are still unaware of
this practice or have doubts as to its advantages. Therefore, it is important to emphasise the
importance of having a study on the subject, and to seek counter benefits, which these green
roofs would deliver on the life of citizens.
1.2. Research context/ Background of the Study.
In the Renaissance period, in the city of Genova in Italy, ceilings with vegetation in
homes. One can also cite the example of Mexico in the pre-Columbian. In India, in the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries, and in some Spanish cities there were examples of vegetation
coverings. From this moment on, the emerged in some UK cities and throughout the mid-20th
century (Emmanuel & Loconsole, 2015). The big number of buildings with green roofs is due to
their optimum thermal performance, as a function of the combined layer between soil and
vegetation, which in environments of hot climates, prevent the passage of heat into of buildings
and in cold climates retain the heat within buildings for longer. In countries such as Germany,
Austria and Norway, the green roof concept is already broadly spread, including companies
specialised in the subject.
In the 1960s many techniques of green roof construction were developed, mainly in
Germany. In the 1970s the research intensified and various types of drainage materials,
waterproofing membranes, roots, low density substrates and suitable plant species. During the
1980's, the growth of buildings in UK was 15% to 20% per year, with a total of ten million
square meters of green roofs in 1996 in UK (Gupta & Gregg, 2012). This expressive growth was

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stimulated by municipal, state, and environmental laws that subsidised every square meter of
coverage to be built. In other countries, such as Austria, subsidies are divided into three stages,
design, implementation and three years after construction, to ensure the use and maintenance of
one of the great interests of these governments in supporting green hedging projects, associated
with the qualitative and quantitative benefits of managing urban climate.
1.2.1. Purpose of the Study
Through the process of green roof that aiding in humidification evaporative cooling that
lowers the temperature and increases air on hot summer days, vegetation acts as an evaporative
cooler decreasing the high temperatures. The green roofs also help to stabilise the climate,
reducing the thermal amplitude, absorbing energy and maintenance of the oxygen-carbon cycle
that is essential for air renewal. In this sense, this study has an intention to explore the potential
benefits of green roofs mainly in the cities of UK. The researcher wants to examine that which
impact should green roofs played in changing climatic environment.
1.2.2. Significance of the Study
It is observed in countries that have had rapid industrial growth that 70% to 80% of its
population resides in urban centers. By virtue of this great concentration urban population, the
concern to adapt the cities to the well-being of its inhabitants and of adding elements of nature to
its structural composition becomes even more important. Green roofs have positive features in
terms of comfort and well-being of its users, both internally and externally (Runhaar et.al, 2012).
Several positive results when using green hedges, psycho-emotional state of its users. It also
provides therapeutic activity, such as gardening itself, involved in the maintenance of the green

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roofs, and the feeling of well-being for mitigating the urban environment with the use of
vegetation. In UK, mainly London, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Liverpool etc. cities are
heavily investing in development of green roofs and associated houses. Several residential
projects, commercial and even industrial architecture that compose green roofs, has been
obtaining success and great acceptance of users, aesthetically favoring the design of the building,
because it is a technique of tradition in European Countries.
1.2.3. Aims & Objectives of the Study
The main objective of this monograph is to promote a bibliographic review on the green
roofs with an emphasis on their benefits in minimising heat mainly by seeing the rapid changes
that took place in climate change. This study in support of experiment of green roofs to be
implemented in the context of Project in major cities of UK. This study also discusses an area
open to the use of people, such as a hanging garden or a terrace, providing social benefits to its
users and adding commercial value to the building, and inaccessible, which do not allow the
movement of people, can be flat, curved and slopes. The frequency of maintenance, irrigation,
fertilisation and root pruning will depend of the species chosen in the project and the objectives
of the project. In the historical context, green roofs are no because, for many centuries, this
constructive technique of estimable value was already used.
Research Questions
1. What impact should green roofs played on cooling of buildings by viewing the changes
that took place in climate from last few years?

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2. What potential benefits green houses would impose on buildings if setup is made in
major cities of UK?

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2.3. Literature Review
Studies on extensive green roofs have identified that they help in cooling process of
buildings with reduction from three to four Celsius in temperature. In green roofs construction, it
is necessary to look for the waterproofing of the slab where it will be the green roof, so as not to
compromise the structure of the building with future infiltrations (Mees et.al, 2013). The correct
choice of materials that will make up the filter layer is very important, avoiding the loss of soil
particles and efficient green roof, where its thickness will vary according to the soil layer or
substrate present on the roof (Georgescu et.al, 2014). The drained water could be stored and
harnessed for future green roof irrigations, this all depends on a pre-project detailing all the items
that will make up the future green roof.
The hydrological cycle has been hampered by urban development that result in increased
runoff of rainwater, the environment and in the general population, especially in the most
deprived areas because of have sufficient infrastructure to plan their homes, as well as their
access and consequently the natural green roof lines (Zhou et.al, 2012). At the beginning until
the UK Cities that had planning presented equivocal results, believing that if the hydraulic
capacity of the green roof system were increased, an alternative solution is required. For the
development of new models requires the search for new sustainable solutions that will recover
the as the natural green roof lines of the environment, as well as the permeability allowing
decrease in temperature without any sort of energy consumption.
Thinking about sustainable solutions that green roofs appear as a proposal to reduce
temperature is a great initiative that recently took by different City Ministers of UK (Masson
et.al, 2014). Recently, government of UK emphasise on to setup projects of green houses as in

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coming years, due to global warming temperature tends to increase with great numbers. Urban
green roof projects are developed within structural premises with impacts that are transferred
from upstream to downstream without any control of their sources. Consequently, there is an
increase in water recharge in pipelines and erosion of the soil and sedimentation of the ducts and
canals, since the surface is unprotected. There is also an increase in the production of waste
solids, once again compromising water quality (Vardoulakis et.al, 2014). The green roofs favor
the thermal performance of the buildings, internal and external, providing greater comfort to the
user, as well as to the surroundings of the green roofs. Since these areas tend to be more humid
due to the presence of plants in the place, providing a larger area with vegetation cover, thus
improving the local climate and air quality.
2.3.1. Green Roof Projects & UK
In the cities of UK, Green roofs work as a filter against pollution and in maintaining
moisture relative to the air, having an aesthetic and ornamental character. In the urban design of
the cities, it is necessary to take into account a safe, convenient to use, comfortable, durable and
mainly economical projects, so that every household afford it with great ease. With the urban
planner having responsibility for adapt its city within the basin in order to avoid possible
problems with natural green roof of the land, adapting the roads and the residential area (Carter
et.al, 2015). The environment offers conditions that allow to assess the level of comfort, being
isothermal, electrodynamic and acoustic conditions, air purity and visual comfort.
Research has shown increased demand in thermal insulation materials, both in hot and of
cold weather and this is due to a current market requirement that is thermal comfort, which
energy demand in large cities, both for residential, commercial and industrial users. The thermal

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design of urban buildings depends on the required internal thermal requirements, as external
climatic conditions used in the internal medium to external media seals, the emitted rays by the
sun exert a great influence on the structures of buildings (Matthews et.al, 2015). The adequate
thermal protection for the region, and roofs are responsible for higher incidence of solar rays in
buildings and, consequently, the greater the contributing to the flow of heat transferred to the
internal environment. The variations of roofs suffer during the day are high temperatures, due to
direct sunlight and at night due to the rapid cooling caused by long-wave radiation exchanges
with the sky, loses heat quickly.
In most of the year, UK regions where there is an intense insolation, thus the roofs, which
suffer the greatest daily and annual thermal variations, should be the element with the highest
thermal protection. In this sense, a considerable option is the adequacy of the coverage of the
buildings. The vegetation applied to the roof can protect direct solar radiation, as well as to cool
it, by means of the cooling effect and evaporative (Matthews et.al, 2015). Green hedges have
proven to be efficient in mechanical resistance, stability, fire safety, sound insulation, protection
thermal and energy saving, compared to other types of materials used in residential, industrial
and commercial roofs. It also contributes to the development of environmentally sound practices
and preservation of the environment.
2.3.2. Potential Benefits of Green Roofs for adaptation to Climate Change
Because of the global warming which gives rise in world temperature, green roofs play
an important role in the establishment of microclimates and in mitigating the urban called

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"islands of heat", contributing to the reduction of levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by
vehicles, industries and mechanical systems. Accelerating positively the expansion of green
areas that contributes to human well-being, in view of a model of urbanisation that prioritises and
overtaxes the city and depopulates field. In UK, alternative urban development projects based on
sustainability and rehabilitation environmental objectives are to avoid excessive consumption of
natural resources, reduce energy costs and waste treatment, to recover the environment with its
characteristics of source and re-enable spaces for new functions (Zhou et.al, 2012). The concern
of the big city master plans such as London with environmental suitability and the rational use of
soil cover is a reality, and the increase of green areas is a almost obligatory theme in the different
master plans. In this sense, the industrialisation model and the needs of the economic market
diverge at certain points in the process of natural elements in the urbanisation process, that is, the
maximum transfer of elements of nature to the urban environment in order to improve the quality
of life of its users.
The construction of urban parks in UK and the incentive for the maintenance of green
areas has already become an urban reality, and the possibility of green hedges becoming more
popular than they really are, can be a positive factor in urban greenhouse development
(Georgescu et.al, 2014). In UK, urban planners and architects can count on more important
element for the adaptation to the urban master plans. These elements include developing entire
UK with green buildings until 2030.
It is evident from this study that civil or architectural constructions are seeking to
environmental impacts, linked to technology, seeking new materials, or new construction
techniques, willing to further reduce energy use, which is also a factor to worry about. Today,
buildings are the major culprits for the great environmental impact, where concentration of